National First for Bangladesh Ship Recycling Yard

PHP Shipbreaking and Recycling Industries of Bangladesh has bought its first vessel to be recycled in accordance with the Hong Kong Convention. PHP was the first Bangladeshi recycling facility to receive statement of compliance with the convention in October 2017. The statement was obtained from RINA. 

The Hong Kong Convention, adopted in 2009 but not yet entered into force, includes regulations for shipowners, recycling facilities, flag states and recycling states to ensure that end-of-life ships do not pose any unnecessary risks to human health, safety and the environment when being recycled. 

The vessel Ore Vitoria was purchased from Brazilian mining company Vale. “This is a historic moment for Bangladesh,” said Managing Director of PHP, Md. Zahirul Islam. “We had to work tirelessly for the last four years to get to this point, and we are extremely proud to receive the first Hong Kong Convention vessel in Bangladesh.”

Covering an impermeable floor of 15,000 square meters at the edge of the Bay of Bengal, the PHP facility is a pioneer in green and sustainable ship recycling in Bangladesh, he says.

In May, shipowners associations BIMCO, ECSA, ICS and INTERTANKO issued a joint appeal for the ratification of the Hong Kong Convention. The convention requires the approval of 15 states and 40 percent of world merchant shipping to enter into force. So far, six states have ratified the convention.